Audacity Forum

Ok, here is your sound test clip. Also I dug out my Snowball, though I can't find it's USB cable as of yet. >.< Old school USB printer cable to boot.

Old school USB printer cable to boot.

Also known as USB-A to USB-B.

You may not need it. You need to come up with a "studio." Your job is not to peel off "background noise" from your performance. You need to separate two mixed performances from each other. This is a cousin to splitting the instruments from each other in a band or orchestra.

Audacity won't do either one.

Even if you do get the gate to work perfectly, it's going to give you TV-stained words over velvety blackness. The instant you both talk at the same time, you're dead. See: 8 seconds in your sample.

Start looking for heavy blankets or furniture moving pads.

Do you drive? I know that's a silly question in Los Angeles, but I have had people turn out very good voice tracks from the back of their car. You don't have to worry about trudging through the snow to get there, either.

Koz

BelGarion wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:47 pm

... here is your sound test clip ...

Noise-gate does more harm than good on that ...
IMO buy uncle a belated Christmas-present of wireless headphones.

Christmas-present of wireless headphones.

Maybe not wireless. You can't plug those into a microphone, interface, or sound mixer.

Koz

Well, so much for a cardioid microphone, which the Snowball is. It still picks up background noise, but only when I am talking. O.o

so much for a cardioid microphone, which the Snowball is.

It's switchable with the little switch on the back. For directional, make sure it's in position 1 and then make sure you're talking into the company name. Cardioid microphones are not a gift from the angels. You still need a quiet room—or a blanket to hide under.

It still picks up background noise, but only when I am talking.

That's the noise gate.

The only cure for your problem is to use a software generated voice and not try to record your real voice.

Koz

It is in switch position 1 and, no, unedited, unless VoiceMeeter (which I need as Win 10 doesn't have a microphone boost for the Snowball, does for the lapel, but not the Snowball) is doing some sort of Noise Gate type effect. I barely understand it, followed a tutorial and when it's quiet it sounds reasonable. Without VoiceMeeter it's too quiet in position 1 and can be barely heard in position 2 so I assume 2 is the -10db pad setting. In position 1 I use these settings and it is good, doesn't clip at all. But it does that noise gate thing on it's own. I should have kept the test recording but I was disappointed. Started out good but then when I started talking is when I started to hear the tv again. >.<

https://gyazo.com/a4368200c768bd4cac81ef607ae48ac3